Hey everyone, thanks for tuning into episode number 157 of our Civil War podcast.

I'm rich and I'm Tracy hello y'all welcome to the podcast as y'all recall we left off last week with the immediate aftermath of the battle of Pharaoh's or

Seven Pines as the Confederates called it after his retreat of the peninsula and back to the very outskirts of Richmond the battle had been Joseph

In Joseph E. Johnston's bid to go over to the offensive and drive the Yankees back from

the gates of the endangered Confederate capital.

But while D. H. Hill's division of rebels had shoved back the Federals through sheer

determination, there hadn't been a decisive breakthrough, and in fact the first day of

the battle had been a badly bungled affair on the part of the Confederates.

Johnston hadn't exercised effective command of his army, while across the way, George

McLellan had had no influence whatsoever on the fighting, other than on that first

day of the battle, to order both Sumner's second corps to be ready to march if needed.

When all was said and done, the Battle of Fair Oaks produced about 5,000 federal and 6,100

Confederate casualties and little else of military significance.

By far the most important result of the battle was the wounding of Joe Johnston on May 31.

With Joe Johnston badly wounded and out of action, Jefferson Davis quickly decided that

he had no confidence in Johnston's seconding command, Gustavus Smith, and the Confederate

President wasted a little time in changing generals.

And so on the afternoon of June 1st, 1862, Robert E. Lee rode into Smith's headquarters

to assume command of the rebel army defending Richmond.

As we've mentioned before, the Confederacy faced crises on several fronts in the spring

of 1862.

In the war's Western theater, Southern armies had suffered multiple disasters, beginning

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